Relay



June 14, 1938. H, w R 2,120,421

RELAY Filed Sept 4, 1957 FIG. 2

lNl/ENTOR H. N. WAG/4R ATTORNEY Patented June 14, 1938 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RELAY Harold N. Wagar, New York, N. Y., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 4, 1937, Serial No. 162,431

7 Claims. (01. 200104) This invention relates to relays and more partype of relay modified in accordance with the ticularly to relays for use in the circuits of teleinvention; and

phone systems. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the contact In electric circuits generally and in telephone springs of the relay shown in Fig. 1. circuits particularly, relays are employed in large The relay is in general of a well-known type 5 numbers for performing numerous and varied having a core I secured at its rear end to a circuit switching functions. It is often very esmounting bracket or heel-piece 2 and having a sential that relays employed in such circuits shall pole face 3 upon its forward end with which positively make and break the circuits controlled the forward end of the armature 4 cooperates.

over their contacts. If the contacts of a relay do An energizing coil 5 having front and rear spool- 10 not make firmly or break cleanly, or in other heads 6 and 1, respectively, surrounds the core I words, if the contacts have a tendency to chatter and has its winding terminals connected to terwhen they make or break, false operation in the minal lugs 8. The armature 4 is hinged to the circuits controlled thereover will result. heel-piece 2 by reed hinges 9 which are riveted It has been found that one of the factors which to the rearwardly extending arms of the arma- 15 contributes to the tendency of relay contacts to ture. For limiting the releasing movement of the chatter is the length of the springs which carry armature and for adjusting the normal air-gap the contacts. Obviously, the amplitude of vibetween the forward end of the armature and bration of the free end of a spring or reed, fixed the pole face 3 of the core, a back stop screw at one end, increases with the increase in the free In hav n a back stop nut ll threaded thereon 20 length of the spring. If, therefore, the contact is attached to the forward end of the core I. In springs of a relay are shortened, the am litud its normal position the forward end of the armaof vibration of their free or contact carrying ends u engages beneath the back p il I will be reduced and their tendency tochatter by Positioned on each side of the coil 5 is a pri vibrations imparted thereto through the operation p D each Comprising y des ed omb ation 5 d remase of th relay armature 111 be of contact springs. For convenience of illustraterially reduced. However, it is essential that tion, each spring p p h e n di sed as the contact springs shall have sufiicient flexibility Comprising foul Springs i 4 d e to enable the relay to be efficiently operated. It sprin s of each pi p are mp n ar th ir is therefore the object of the present invention to rear ends, together with the terminal lugs 8 and 30 provide a relay with effectively short contact reed hinges 9, t0 the bracket 2 y ws a springs whereby their tendency to chatter is ren which p through the Clamping plate duced without reducing the efiiciency of the relay. Sulating Strips the reed es 9, the bracket The object of the invention is attained by prothe Springs t0 inclusive, d insulating 'viding a relay with contact springs of the usual Strips ihiJO threaded holes in the Clamping 35 length, that is, which extend forwardly from their Plate 1 The terminel lugs 8 and Contact springs rear support on the relay mounting bracket or are insulated from each other and from the heel-piece to a point beyond the front spoolhead bracket 2 by e interposed insulating Strips of the energizing coil, but which are supported and 40 at a point between their free ends and their rear The springs of each p e-up are, in addition, 40 support by attachment to the relay mat-ma insulatedly supported on the armature 4 near The effective free length of the contact springs is the m Spmlheai from support for thereby reduced to that portion which extends the sprmgs comprises supenmposed blocks 22 of insulating material, which insulate the springs forwardly from support on the armature from each other and from the armature 4, and 45 To add flexibility to the springs so that they may a clamping plate 23 through which screws 2 be readily flexed by the movement of the arma' and 25 pass into threaded holes in the side arms ture and so that the armature may have freedom of the armature The f w d Contact bean of movement, the portion of the springs extendm ends of Springs |2 and M extend fr ely i between their real and armature pp s is beyond their support on their armature, but their 50 reduced in Wid h and ade mI mate springs I3 and I5 are restrained by the usual The invention will be more clearly understood tangs such as tang 26 shown in Fig. 2, engaged from the following description taken in connecin notches in the front spoolhead 6. tion with the accompanying drawing in which: Each spring is reduced in width between its Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a well-known front support on the armature and its rear sup- 55 port on the heel-piece or bracket 2 and is made sinuous in the manner shown at 21 in Fig. 2 to give the spring flexibility in a direction along its axis and in a direction at right angles to its axis.

With the relay constructed and assembled in the manner described, when the armature 4 is attracted toward the pole face 3 of the core in response to the energization of the coil 5, the forward support of the contact springs carried by the armature depresses the contact ends of the springs. The ends of springs l2 and I4 follow the movement of the armature, but since the tangs of the mate springs l3 and l5 are engaged in the notches of the front spoolhead 8, the movement of the front spring support depresses that portion of springs l3 and i5 lying between the front spoolhead and the rear support of the springs thereby causing the front ends of these springs to pivot about their support on the front spoolhead 6 and to move toward and into engagement with the contact ends of springs l2 and M. The contact springs l2 and M thus have an effective free length extending only from their front support on the armature to their contact ends and springs 83 and I5 have an effective free length extending only from their engagement with the front spoolhead. Being thus of short length the springs do not have an inherent tendency to vibrate to such an extent as to cause them to chatter when engaged or disengaged in response to the attraction or release of the armature. Furthermore, since the springs are made very flexible between their rear and front supports, the freedom of movement of the armature is not curtailed As an alternative construction the portions of the springs between their front support on the armature 4 and their rear support on the heel-- piece 2 could function as reed supports for the rear end of the armature, in which case the reed hinges 9 would be eliminated and replaced with a ledge member against which the rear end of the armature would normally rest.

What is claimed is:

1. In a relay, a supporting bracket, a core attached thereto, an armature hinged to said bracket and cooperating with said core, and contact bearing springs insulatedly supported at one end on said bracket and insulatedly supported intermediate their ends on said armature whereby cooperation between the contacts of said springs is controlled by the movement of said armature.

2. In a relay, a sup crting bracket, a core attached thereto, an energizing coil on said core having a front and a rear spoolhead, an armature hinged to said bracket and cooperating with said core, and contact springs insulatedly supported on said armature adjacent to said front spoolhead and having contacts on their free ends, certain of said springs being engaged in notches in said front spoolhead whereby cooperation between the contacts of said springs is controlled by the movement of said armature.

3. In a relay, a supporting bracket, a core attached thereto, an energizing coil on said core having a front and a rear spoolhead, an armature hinged to said bracket and cooperating with said core, and contact springs insulatedly supported at one end on said bracket, insulatedly supported adjacent said front spoolhead on said armature and having contacts on their free ends, certain of said springs being engaged in notches in said front spoolhead whereby cooperation between the contacts of said springs is controlled by the movement of said armature.

4. In a relay, a supporting bracket, a core attached thereto, an armature hinged to said bracket and cooperating with said core, and contact springs insulatedly supported at one end on said bracket and insulatedly supported intermediate their ends on said armature, said springs having the portions thereof between their supports on said bracket and on said armature rendered flexible to enable said armature to move freely.

5. In a relay, a supporting bracket, a core attached thereto, an armature hinged to said bracket and cooperating with said core, and contact springs insulatedly supported at one end on said bracket and insulatedly supported inter mediate their ends on said armature, said springs having the portions thereof between their sup-- ports on said bracket and on said armature made flexible axially and at right angles to their axes to permit the armature to move freely.

6. In a relay, a supporting bracket, a core at-- tached thereto, an armature hinged to said bracket and cooperating with said core, and contact springs insulatedly supported at one end on said bracket and insulatedly supported intermediate their ends on said armature, said springs having the portions thereof extending between their supports on said bracket and on said armature reduced in cross-sectional area to render them sufficiently flexible to enable said armature to move freely.

'7. In a relay, a supporting bracket, a core attached thereto, an armature hinged to said bracket and cooperating with said core, and contact springs insulatedly supported at one end on said bracket and insulatedly supported intermediate their ends on said armature, said springs having the portions thereof between their supports on said bracket and on said armature reduced in width and made sinuous to render them flexible axially and at right angles to their axes.

HAROLD N. WAGAR. 

